UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Twelve Penn State students have been selected as College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society 2022 Internship Award winners. The award, which includes a $1,000 stipend, was established to encourage students to participate in a credit or noncredit educational internship program related to their field of study.
Students’ abilities to take lessons learned in the classroom and transition that knowledge to hands-on, in-the-field experiences supports their Penn State degree in immeasurable ways, noted Kelly Praskovich, the college's director of alumni relations.
“This long-standing scholarship, established by the Alumni Society, is committed to recognizing the hard work and effort students have dedicated, by taking their education one step further,” she said. “I am thrilled with the outstanding comments received from those supervisors who evaluated the interns they worked with.”
Internship Award winners are chosen based on an internship plan, a final report and an employer evaluation. Following are the 2022 award recipients:
— Jacob Hill, a biological engineering major from Churchville. A graduate of Council Rock High School South, Hill was a co-op formulations research associate at Senda Biosciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
— Paige Rohrbach, an agricultural and extension education major from Fleetwood. A graduate of Oley Valley High School, Rohrbach was a 4-H summer intern with Penn State Extension in Collegeville.
— Leah Welk, an agricultural science and public relations dual major from Strasburg. A graduate of Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Welk was an account services intern at Curious Plot in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
— Nate Moore, a turfgrass science major from Macungie. A graduate of Emmaus High School, Moore was a grounds crew member at Beaver Stadium at University Park.
— Kassidy Powell, a turfgrass science major from Spring Mills. A graduate of Penns Valley Area Junior/Senior High School, Powell was an intern at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York.
— Rose Spahn, a food science major from Fairfax Station, Virginia. A graduate of James W. Robinson Secondary School, Spahn was a sensory intern at the J.M. Smucker Co. in Orrville, Ohio.
— Killian George, an agricultural and extension education major from Newport. A graduate of Cumberland Valley High School, George was a member relations intern at Land O’ Lakes in Carlisle.
— Gabrielle Kriley, an agricultural and extension education major from Rural Valley. A graduate of Lenape Technical School, Kriley was an agricultural student teacher at Bermudian Spring High School in York Springs.
— Emily Stambaugh, an agricultural science major from Carlisle. A graduate of Big Spring High School, Stambaugh interned with the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center in Manheim and University Park.
— Brandon Bixler, an agricultural and extension education major from Earl. A graduate of Garden Spot High School, Bixler was a savings group intern at HOPE International in Lancaster.
— Melissa Dacquisto, a forest ecosystem management major from Ashland. A graduate of North Schuylkill Jr./Sr. High School, Dacquisto was a habitat management intern with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
— Grace Hassing, a wildlife and fisheries science major from Downingtown. A graduate of Downingtown East High School, Hassing was a Career Discovery Internship Program biology intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Oceanville, New Jersey.